Insurance giant UnitedHealth facing antitrust probe amid soaring healthcare costs
NY Post
The Justice Department has launched an antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth Group, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Investigators have in recent weeks been interviewing healthcare industry representatives in sectors where UnitedHealth competes, including doctor groups, the report said.
During their interviews, investigators have asked about issues including certain relationships between the company’s UnitedHealthcare insurance unit and its Optum health-services-arm, which owns physician groups, among other assets.
UnitedHealth’s unit, Optum Health, offers a range of healthcare solutions, from pharmacy benefit management to financial consultation and mental health support.
Americans are facing soaring healthcare costs, with the estimated healthcare spending per person standing at about $13,493 in 2022, according to federal data released late last year.
The Biden administration has made lowering drug prices a priority. It passed the first US drug pricing legislation ever in the Inflation Reduction Act last year, and has since turned its sights on pharmacy benefit manager middlemen.
